Heirs entitled to a fixed fraction of the estate under the Qur'an.
In Islamic law
The primary heirs whose shares are stated as fractions — spouse, parents, daughters, and certain siblings and grandparents. Their shares are paid before any residue passes to the asabah.
In Canadian law
No Canadian equivalent; provincial intestacy uses degrees of kinship, not fixed fractions.
Making an Islamic will in Canada — province by province, and what makes one valid where you live →
We have not yet researched whether the four Sunni schools differ on this term, so we are not going to tell you either way. Where a specific case turns on it, ask a qualified scholar rather than relying on a general summary.
This is legal information only. For advice on your own circumstances, speak to a lawyer.
Citations & sources
Every factual claim on this page traces to a source below. Details change — check the original source before relying on any figure, fee or legal position.
- Surah an-Nisa 4:11 — shares of children and parents — Quran.com
- Surah an-Nisa 4:12 — shares of spouses and uterine siblings — Quran.com
- Surah an-Nisa 4:176 — the kalalah verse — Quran.com
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 85: Laws of Inheritance (Faraid) — Sunnah.com
- Sahih Muslim, Book of Inheritance — Sunnah.com
- Encyclopaedia of Islam — Brill
- Oxford Islamic Studies / Oxford Reference — Oxford University Press